


After Happily Ever After - A Descendants Story

by VampOfThePeople



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: And a bit for the first two movies, F/F, I think I got all of the major characters lol, Non-Canon Relationship, Slightly non-canon, Spoilers For Descendants 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-08-12 01:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20163409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampOfThePeople/pseuds/VampOfThePeople
Summary: The story isn't over just yet.  Mal and Evie discover something about their pasts that will change their lives as they know them.  Audrey discovers something she didn't know about herself and finds something she never knew was missing.  This is a continuation of the Descendants story, starting from Descendants 3.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story begins partway into Descendants 3, right at the part where...
> 
> *SPOILER*
> 
> ...Mal gets the Ember from Hades. I know I already tagged it, but there are spoilers ahead.
> 
> And I obviously own nothing from the movies.

Hades watches Mal leave before relaxing back down in his chair. A moment passes before a young woman steps out of the shadows, similarly dressed to Hades, but not wearing a similar smile.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" she asks as she begins to pace.

"What?" Hades responds.

"You have another daughter and you never told me?"

"Not you too," he says annoyed.

"Why wouldn't you tell me Mal is my sister...?"

"Half sister," Hades interrupts and corrects her with a finger in the air.

"It's bad enough I've had to stay away from my other sister..."

"Again, half sister."

The young woman stops pacing, her back to Hades. She visibly takes a deep breath before suddenly grabbing the "Cerberus" record and throwing it at Hades. He barely dodges it as it whizzes past his head.

"Hey! I needed that!" says Hades.

"I'm telling Mal," she says, more to herself than to Hades.

"No," Hades replies sternly, sitting up.

"I'm telling them both."

"You can't!"

The young woman heads for the exit, only to be cut off by Hades.

"And why can't I, Dad? Huh?" she angrily asks. She gets in his face and adds, "Give me a good reason."

"Because your mother and Mal's mother will go _ballistic_ on me."

The young woman's voice drops dangerously low as she says, "That sounds like a you problem."

She tries to push past him but he stops her again.

"Your mother will also come after you if you mess up your sister's life in Auradon."

"I'll take my chances."

They silently stare each other down, waiting for the other to break first.

"Fine," Hades says, defeated. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The young woman finally pushes past him and runs out. He watches her go too, just like his younger daughter.

* * *

"Mal, wait up!"

Mal and Celia stop and turn to see the young woman as she exits Hades's lair.

"Eden. What's up?" Mal asks.

"And what were you doing in Hades's lair?" Celia adds.

"Yeah, it's dangerous in there," says Mal. "That Cerberus..."

"I threw Dad's record at him before leaving," Eden dismisses Mal's warning, "it'll be awhile before he can find a replacement."

Eden sees the look of surprise on both Mal and Celia's faces. She spots the Ember in Mal's hand and knows how she can convince them.

"Let me see the Ember, Mal?"

Mal grips the Ember tighter and gives Eden a look of suspicion.

"Please?"

Perhaps it's something in Eden's eyes. Perhaps it's something in her voice. Either way, Mal decides to give Eden the Ember. But Eden surprises her by simply touching it, which causes the Ember to glow much brighter.

"That's about as much as I've been able to manage with the Ember here on the Isle, but Dad's been teaching me," Eden explains.

Mal's surprise turns into awe. She looks into Eden's eyes and sees the hope there. She finally cracks a smile, causing Eden to smile too, and they embrace.

"I wish I had known. I'm sorry I didn't know," Mal apologizes.

"It's okay, I didn't know either. I'm sorry I didn't find out sooner," Eden explains.

Both of them pull away enough to look each other in the eyes while still hugging.

"I can't believe I have an older sister," Mal happily exclaims. Then her expression changes to annoyance. "I can't believe he never told me!"

She's about to head back inside and give Hades a piece of her mind but Eden stops her with a hand on her shoulder.

"We can deal with Dad later," says Eden. "There's something else you need to know. Something I have to tell you _and_ Evie..."

* * *

"_What_?"

"Evie, I know it's a lot to process," Mal cautiously starts, only to be cut off by Evie.

"'A lot to_ process'_?! I just found out we share a _half sister_!"

Mal turns to Eden and says, "Don't take it personally.

"It's okay, I get it," Eden responds.

Evie suddenly begins to pace.

"I can't believe Mom never told me she had another daughter! Another marriage!" Evie exclaims.

Eden approaches her and gently places a hand on Evie's shoulder, stopping her pacing. Evie looks her in the eyes, her uncertainty showing clearly in them.

"I'm sorry I didn't fight her on it."

"You were a kid..."

"I'm a Villain Kid, that's no excuse. Mom should've let me at least get to know you. I should've been able to be there for you. To be a big sister. I'm sorry."

Evie can't help herself as she pulls Eden in for a hug.

"You're here now," Evie says quietly. "That's all that matters."

Their hug gets tighter, more emotional. After a moment, Evie looks at Mal while still hugging Eden.

"I guess this makes us family?" Mal asks.

"We've always been family," Evie easily replies.

Both she and Eden extend an arm towards Mal, who joins the hug. Each of them savors the happy moment while it lasts before having to get back to business.

"Alright, let's go get the boys," Mal says, "it's time to get back to Auradon. We have a curse to break."

* * *

"All right. Get in, get out." Mal looks to Jay. "Jay, you're good?"

"Yeah," he responds.

"Okay. Hold on," Mal says to stop the others from approaching the portal. Jay uses the remote to open it and they all step through.

As they do the Ember begins to glow and Mal's appearance remains normal.

"Whoa," Evie says, clearly impressed. "You got a little Hades thing going."

"Wow," Mal says, also impressed.

"That thing packs a punch, huh?" Carlos asks.

"You have no idea, man," Eden answers.

Suddenly, the group here's running footsteps behind them and turn around only to see Harry Hook and Gil have jumped through the barrier.

"We made it," they both say as they hug in victory.

Evie shields Celia from them while Mal, Eden, Jay and Carlos face this new obstacle.

"Hey, guys," says Harry, "We're just coming for a wee visit."

He and Gil try to move past them, but Jay and Carlos step up to stop them. The usual pushing before a fight starts and Mal and Eden try to stop them.

"Come on," Mal says. "Hey. Hey."

Unfortunately this causes Mal to drop the Ember. As she tries to pick it up, Harry causes her to accidentally toss it towards the sea.

"No!" she and Eden both yell.

They watch in despair as the Ember careens toward the water, only to be caught by a tentacle. Uma emerges with her usual flair.

"Drop something?" she asks with an evil smirk.

"Uma, I swear..." Eden threatens as her fists ignite with a dark red flame.

"It can't get wet! Give it back before it goes out!" Mal yells to Uma.

"Uma?" Harry and Gil ask, obviously surprised.

"That's my name," she answers.

Uma gives a little wave before sinking back into the sea.

"No!" Mal and Eden yell again. Eden's hands seem to burn even brighter.

The water where Uma was turns into a whirlpool and rises before exploding and splashing the group.

"Hi, boys," the group hears from behind.

Everyone turns around to see Uma holding the still glowing Ember. Harry smiles and approaches first.

"Welcome back," he says.

"Uma, you swam off and forgot all about us," says Gil, the sadness showing in both his face and his eyes.

"Yeah, planning her revenge, no doubt," Mal says with a glare.

"It's not all about you, Mal. I was looking for a hole in the barrier to let everyone out," Uma explains.

"Uma, the Isle is full of Villains. Including Hades, who has been searching for a way off for years. If they can't find one, what makes you think you will?" Eden asks.

Uma ignores her and turns to Harry and Gil.

"And you know what I found, boys?" Uma asks. "It's way better out there than we thought. There's this thing that looks like a furry rock called a coconut. And fish so big you could dance on their backs. And they've been keeping it all for themselves."

"Whatever. Uma, I need that to break a spell," Mal explains with her hand outstretched.

"Cast by Audrey, Sleeping Beauty's daughter," Carlos adds.

"Mm. So the good guy is the bad guy?" Uma asks with a smile and laugh. "Well, I might not give it back. Let's see what happens."

"Uma, it's not the time for games! People's lives are in danger!" Mal shouts at her.

Uma grows serious as she demands, "Guarantee me that every single Villain Kid who wants to, can get off the Isle."

"I can't do that," Mal tells her.

"Can't do that?" Uma angrily asks. "Well how about now?"

Uma dangles the Ember over the water, causing Mal and the others to panic.

"Deal. Deal," Mal agrees.

Uma pretends to let the Ember slip from her hand to mess with them.

"Uma!" Evie shouts. "Her word is good."

"I'll still keep this, for the time being," Uma says as she tucks the Ember away. "Because if you think I trust you to save the world on your own, think again. This is a job for pirates."

Uma, Harry and Gil all laugh and high five each other.

"You have no right to hold that," Eden approaches, but Jay stops her. He approaches Mal instead and says, "We can always go back to hating each other when this is over."

After a moment, Mal angrily concedes, "Fine."

"Where are our bikes?" Jay asks Hook and Gil.

"Oh, yeah, um," Gil answers, "we crashed them."

Harry makes a crash noise to taunt them.

"Here's a thought," Evie says as she steps forward, Celia following close behind. "We could try to be friends. Put our history behind us and celebrate our differences. Yeah? Who wants gum?"

"Let's go," Uma says, ignoring Evie's offer.

"No?" Evie asks.

"Ah! No. I'm in charge," Mal tells Uma. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to skip parts of the movie where it doesn't make sense to have Eden there or have her mentioned for the sake of getting to the end of the movie and into the original story I came up with. I'm also going to skip the songs since they're obviously better in the movie or listened to rather than read.

"They're asleep. Everyone," Evie says.

"I can't get Ben," says Mal.

"Or Dizzy or Doug," Evie adds.

"Or Jane. The signal's out," Carlos tells them.

"Is that Auradon Prep?" Celia asks upon seeing the large school building.

"Yeah. When everybody wakes up, you're going to love it," Carlos answers.

"Everything is so..." Gil starts.

"Freaky," Jay finishes.

"...green," Gil corrects. "You have leaves _on_ your trees. And what are those colored things on the bushes?"

"Uh... Flowers?" Jay answers uncertainly.

"Flowers are pretty," Gil states. "Cantaloupe! Mm! Mm!"

Jay is surprised by Gil's enthusiasm.

"We don't have fresh fruit on the Isle, remember?" Uma explains.

"Thank you," Gil says.

"They're grapes," Jay tells him.

"Grapes? I love grapes."

"I believe I deserve," Harry starts as he takes a wallet off of a sleeping victim, "some compensation for my muscles, my wile, and my role in this endeavor."

Jay notices this and quickly approaches him.

"You do. Me not squashing you like a bug."

"Think I'm scared of you, Jay?" Harry asks.

"Guys," Mal and Uma say simultaneously.

Harry watches Jay walk off and is about to follow before Eden stops him with a hand on his chest.

"We're not on the Isle anymore, Hook. Make no mistake about who is stronger here," Eden says as the hand on Hook's chest heats up.

Hook steps back before it gets uncomfortable before they both rejoin the group.

"Mm!" says a familiar voice.

"Dude," Carlos says happily.

"Delicious," Dude proclaims.

"Dude, really?" Carlos asks.

"What? It wasn't me, I swear," says Dude, before adding, "Okay. It was me."

"Hey, do you know what happened here?" Carlos questions.

"Yup," Dude answers. "Audrey showed up. She put everybody to sleep. And then she turned some of them to..."

"Guys," Evie interrupts. "Hannah turned to stone."

"All right. Everybody stay on their toes," says Jay.

Eden steps forward and examines Hannah.

"Maybe it's for the better that I never had to face off with Maleficent," Eden says, then looks to Mal, who silently nods.

"Why would you ever need to face off with her mom?" Uma asks.

Realizing the slip up, Eden, Mal and Evie all try to quickly come up with an explanation. But Uma gets impatient and brushes them off.

"Look, since we're here, let's check the school," Uma suggests.

"No. Audrey went straight for the crown, so, I think it's safe to assume that she's gonna go for Ben and his castle next," Mal explains. "That's where we'll go."

"Says who?" asks Uma.

"Says me," answers Mal.

"Says you," Uma replies. "And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

"Guys," Evie says in an effort to stop them.

"To the castle," says Mal before leading the way.

* * *

"How did Mal break my spell?" Audrey angrily asks as she picks up a bowl and dumps the fruit out of it.

"I don't know," Chad answers, clearly frightened.

"And what is Uma doing here?"

Chad, realizing what Audrey intends to do with the bowl, responds with, "Hey, no, no, no, no, no."

But Audrey doesn't listen and chucks the bowl at him. He manages to duck, but it distracts him, giving Audrey the chance to close the gap between them and tower over him.

"And who is the other girl that's with them? Come clean, Chad. Where did they go?"

"I don't know. I don't know, okay? I can go check for you. How about that?"

"Stay! It's about to get a little ugly."

* * *

"Ben!" Mal calls out.

"This way," Dude tells them.

"Ben could be asleep anywhere," Mal says with despair.

"Or turned to stone," Celia adds.

"Okay," Evie says as she covers Celia's mouth, but Mal has already heard it and is visibly more upset.

"Ben!" Mal calls out louder.

"Hey," Eden says as she steps in front of Mal. She holds both of Mal's shoulders in a comforting gesture and says, "Hey, look at me." Mal does and Eden continues, "He's going to be okay. I know I don't personally know Ben myself, but he's strong and smart, right? And brave?"

Mal nods in agreement as a tear slips from the corner of her eye.

"Then he's going to be okay," Eden reassures her I'm sure he's out searching for you, just like you're searching for him."

Mal pulls Eden in for a hug and Eden hugs her back just as tightly.

Uma notices the exchange and asks, "When did you two get so touchy-feely?"

Mal and Eden both step back, trying to think of an answer.

"I got a scent," Dude interrupts. "Very pungent cologne. Easy to track. Follow me, people."

"That's great, Dude," says Jay.

"FYI, I give great cuddles, too," Dude tells the group.

"Really? I never had a pet growing up. Well, except for the elk head in Dad's man cave, but that wasn't..."

"Hold up. What's this?" Uma asks as she points to a long trail of claw marks and a wrecked picture frame on the wall.

"Uh... Any chance this was already there?" Carlos asks as he points to the damage as well.

"And follow me," Dude interrupts again.

Mal continues to shout as they enter a hall full of suits of armor, "Ben! Ben! Ben! Ben!"

"Stay here, okay?" Evie tells Celia, who nods.

The group enters the room and continues their search for Ben.

Harry admires a sword and says, "I can feel you lurking."

Jay comes up behind him and replies, "Good."

"So you can track, cuddle, and talk," Gil says as he pets Dude. Hey, do you think his puppies would be able to talk, too?"

"All right, man. He's taken," Carlos explains. "You want a dog, adopt a rescue."

Dude laughs and says, "Talking puppies. That's crazy."

"Come here," Celia calls for Dude.

"He seems nice," Dude tells her.

"I bet you lost some sleep thinking about me on the loose?" Uma asks Mal.

"No. Dragons don't really lose sleep," Mal responds. Then she adds, "I wonder what fried octopus tastes like."

Eden quietly laughs.

"Okay. Why don't we not do this?" Evie asks.

"We're celebrating our differences," Uma answers.

Harry notices one of the suits of armor move and says, "I believe we're being challenged."

But Uma ignores him and says, "Let's split up and look for Audrey."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Mal argues, "Unless you give me my ember, she's going to spell you."

"Girls!" Harry exclaims urgently. The girls look at him as he explains, "We have a situation here."

The rest of the group turns to the armor and realizes what's happening.

"Do you like a prince, Mal?" Audrey asks through the magic in the armor. "How about a knight in shining armor? Or knights?"

Audrey laughs as the suits of armor come to life and begin their attack.

* * *

*Insert "Night Falls" Here*

* * *

"Yeah! Come on. Yeah!" The group cheers as they celebrate their victory.

"We did that," Uma happily exclaims. "That's what I'm talk..."

Uma and Mal are about to high five but stop themselves.

"Hey, good job," Carlos says as the boys all chest bump, then also stop themselves and split back up.

"No," Evie says sadly. "We're..."

She watches the two groups celebrate separately.

"Guys, come on. This was so great. We were a team. We worked together. Come on," she says as she reaches for Mal, who brushes her off. "Come on," she tries again with Uma, with a similar result. "You know what we should try? An icebreaker. You say something you really like about the other person, okay? I'll start. Harry. Great accent. Now, you go."

"Is she always this perky?" Uma asks.

"Oh, it wasn't really your turn, but thank you," Evie responds.

"Okay. Evie, come here," says Mal.

"Yeah," says Evie.

"I love you," Mal tells her.

"I love you," Evie happily replies.

"I love this energy, but we are very short on time. Audrey clearly knows that we're here and we need to get out of here, ASAP."

"All right, where does this cheerleader bunk down?" Uma asks. "Even if she's not there, we might find some sort of clue."

"Actually, she's still in the dorms," Evie answers.

"You're right. Because of summer school," Mal confirms.

"What? Summer school?" Harry laughs and asks in disbelief. "_Summer school_! No wonder she wants revenge."

"Okay. I need you guys to go find Ben. We will meet back at Evie's in two hours, okay?" Mal asks.

"Sounds like we're going with my plan. I'm just saying," Uma points out.

"It was kind of the obvious plan," Mal retorts.

"Uma said it first," Gil points out.

"Right. So my plan," Uma agrees.

"Whatever," Mal says before leaving the room, everyone but Evie and Eden following her.

Eden steps up to her younger sister, pats her gently on the shoulder and says, "I like that you're trying to bring everyone together. We could use more of that on the Isle."

Evie smiles and they hug each other, which Uma also happens to see from the doorway. This time she chooses to keep the information to herself and watches them closely as they follow everyone else out.


	3. Chapter 3

"She's nowhere on campus," Evie says as she enters Audrey's room, followed by Mal and Eden.

"Found her diary," Uma tells them from her very comfy spot on Audrey's bed. "And _dang_, did you ruin Audrey's life."

Eden looks curious but doesn't say anything.

"Okay. So did you find anything in there that we don't already know or...?" Mal asks, clearly annoyed.

"She hangs out at Fairy Cottage," Uma answers. Then adds, "You know, where Flora, Fauna and Merryweather hid her mom from your mom."

"Yes, hahaha. The irony is not lost on me," Mal answers, still annoyed.

"How could anyone with this bed ever be unhappy?" questions Uma as she lies back even more to enjoy it.

"Okay. How do I look?" Celia asks as she poses while wearing Audrey's jewelry.

"Okay. The bling stays here," Evie tells her.

"But she's bad," Celia argues.

"And we're not," Evie answers simply.

Celia concedes and puts the jewelry back.

* * *

"I really hope they found Ben," Mal says as they approach Evie's Castle.

Eden, once again trying to help her sister feel better, pats her on the shoulder and gives her a small smile. Mal tries her best to return it, but the worry is still evident in her eyes.

"Nice digs," Uma states upon seeing the castle.

"I got a really good deal," Evie tells her, pride emanating in her voice.

They enter to find Dizzy, Squeaky and Squirmy all asleep on the sofa. Dizzy tosses a bit, clearly in the middle of a bad dream.

"It's okay," Celia quietly tells her sleeping friend. "Shh. It's okay."

Celia checks on the boys before covering all three with a blanket.

"Don't worry, Dizzy. We can fix this," Celia says. "And once we do, they're gonna let all the kids come from the Isle. So, happy dreams."

Suddenly, Mal, Evie, Eden and Uma hear a loud snore and go to investigate.

"Uh, who's the dude?" Uma asks.

"Doug," Evie answers. "Doug. Wake up. Wake up."

"He's spelled," Uma says to Evie. Then she turns to Mal and asks, "Is she not a fast learner?"

"She's emotionally involved, okay?" Mal explains.

Eden is surprised to find this out. She knew about Mal's engagement to Ben, that news had spread all over the Isle almost as quickly as it had in Auradon. But she stayed quiet. They had bigger things to worry about and she could learn more about Mal's and Evie's love lives, and work on her lack of one, later.

"Well, in that case, she should be able to wake him up," Uma says like it's the simplest thing in the world. Evie gives her a puzzled look, so Uma adds, "True love's kiss. Works every time."

"Well, we haven't actually used the 'L' word yet," Evie tells them. A moment passes before she asks, "Can we be alone?"

The others concede and leave the room.

* * *

*Insert "One Kiss" Here*

* * *

Evie kisses Doug and everyone waits with baited breath. When he continues to snore Evie turns away, the hurt evident in her eyes. But then he sits up and she quickly realizes he was playing a prank by pretending the kiss didn't work. She smacks his knee and sits down with her back to him and her arms crossed. He sits up and shoulder bumps her. She looks at him and they exchange a smile. Everyone makes their way back into the main room, except for Eden, who stops Doug in his tracks with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I know you were just playing a prank and she's clearly not upset for you, but that wasn't the best first impression to make while meeting her older sister for the first time," Eden calmly tells him.

Doug looks Eden in the eyes and if he didn't know better he'd swear he saw fire there.

"Sorry, I..."

"Don't be sorry. Just don't hurt her."

He nods vigorously, hoping that gets his promise across. Eden simply pats him on the shoulder and struts inside, Doug following closely behind her. Little do they know, there was an extra set of eyes on them...

* * *

"That was a really good idea, to check Audrey's room," Mal tells Uma, who pauses her cake eating an turns to face Mal. "Now, we know that we're on the right track."

"Is there an insult in there that I missed?" Uma asks, suspicious as ever.

Mal smiles and replies, "Just...I wanted to thank you."

* * *

"No!" Audrey screams into the scepter. "You think you're on the right track? We're not going anywhere! Let's mess them up a little. Especially that Eden girl, she could be as much of a threat as Mal. Or worse."

"I say we go back to my place and maybe binge-watch some TV? Huh? Or maybe order some stuff online? Yeah? Yeah," Chad tries to suggest. But Audrey is not amused and uses her newfound magic to make him kneel, to which he responds, "What about pizza, huh?" Audrey forces him to sit, so he corrects himself, "Yeah, you don't like pizza. Salad?" Audrey forces him into a nearby closet and magically shuts and locks the door, causing him to panic, "Sa...! No, no, no, no, no, Audrey. Audrey. Audrey! Audrey!"

She simply laughs as he continues to pound on the door, begging to be let out.

* * *

"I don't know whose birthday it is, but I want this cake," says Uma.

"So, I maybe kind of missed the boat a little bit on calling you Shrimpy and not letting you join the gang," Mal confesses.

"Yeah. We really could've torn up the Isle together," Uma agrees.

Eden watches from a nearby doorway, a smile on her face. She never realized how much she wanted siblings until she finally had them. Unfortunately, the happy moment doesn't last long as the house is suddenly, rapidly and magically being boarded up around them, trapping them inside.

"Celia!" Uma calls for the youngest of the group.

"We're trapped!" Celia yells back before she and Eden rush to Mal and Uma, and are soon joined by Evie and Doug.

"Are you guys okay?" Evie asks. "What's going on?"

Mal lifts her hands toward the boards and her eyes turn green as she chants, "You've caused my friends pain and fear. We've had enough, now disappear!"

However, the spell doesn't work and the windows and doors stay boarded.

"You guys, I'm sorry," Mal apologizes. "My spells aren't working. Audrey's magic is getting stronger."

Eden places a hand over Mal's and holds the other out toward the boards too, both ignited in dark red flames. But the one on Mal's hand doesn't hurt or burn, it simply feels warm and comforting. And powerful.

"You've caused our friends pain and fear we've had enough, now disappear," the sisters say at the same time.

A few boards come off, but not enough to escape. That's when Uma steps up too, her necklace glowing.

"You've caused our friends pain and fear we've had enough, now disappear," all three repeat together.

Thankfully, the boards come down.

"You did it! Together! This is what I've been talking about," Evie happily tells them.

"I guess my shell likes you," Uma says to Mal and Eden as she pulls out the Ember and hands it to Mal. "Why don't you hold on to that?"

The trio fist-bump as Celia rushes to look out the door.

She turns to Mal and says, "Hey, it's your bae."

Everyone rushes outside for a reunion, led by Mal.

"Ben!" Mal exclaims as she hugs him.

"Are you okay?" he asks her.

"Yeah. I'm so much better right now. Are you okay?" Mal asks him in return.

"Yeah," Ben replies with a smile. Then he looks at Uma and adds, "I always knew you'd be part of the solution."

Uma simply smiles.

"What is _this_?" Mal asks, noticing Ben's new facial hair.

"Oh, yeah," Ben replies with a smile.

"I could get used to this," Mal tells him with a smirk on her face.

"You like it?" Ben asks.

"I love this," Mal answers.

Uma approaches and asks, "What about those?" as she points to her own mouth.

"Oh," Ben says and points to his extended canines.

Mal immediately responds with, "No."

"I like them," Ben tells her with a smile and laugh. That's when Ben notices Eden and says, "I don't think we've met."

Eden walks right up to him and shakes his hand.

"I'm Eden. I'm..." she looks at Mal and Evie before turning back to Ben, "...an old friend of Mal and Evie."

"Okay, so, we all think that Audrey could be at Fairy Cottage. We have no idea where it is. Did she ever take you there?" Mal asks Ben.

"Every Fairy Godmother's Day," Ben replies with ease. "Where is Fairy Godmother when you need her?"

"I wish I knew," Jane replies.

"Hey, this might be a bad time," Carlos says, getting Jane's attention. "But..." Carlos hands Jane a small box, "Happy Birthday. I made it with my 3D printer." Jane opens the box revealing a necklace that says 'Jarlos' and Carlos continues to explain, "That's our names put together."

"No, right, I get it. Yeah," Jane tells him.

"Yeah, because, you know, we're together. You and me we're like a couple."

"Right. 'Cause Jane and Carlos make Jarlos," says Jane.

"Yes. Yeah. I could've gone with Cane, um, but I went with Jarlos. Unless you prefer Cane?" Carlos questions with uncertainty and nerves.

"Oh, no. No, I love it," Jane tries to reassure her boyfriend.

"You prefer Cane? Yes, you do. It's fine. You know what? I can remake it. It's cool. It's fine," Carlos nervously takes back the necklace, already intent on remaking it.

But Jane stops him and says, "No, Carlos. It's perfect."

They both smile as Carlos helps her put the necklace on.

"Doug!" Ben says. "Go with Jane. We need to find Fairy Godmother."

"They might need some muscle," suggests Uma.

"Hey," Doug says, offended.

Gil looks at his own arms and says, "Well, I'll go."

"Yeah, actually, I would feel better," says Carlos.

"Yeah, actually, I'd feel better, too," Evie agrees.

"Same," Mal adds.

"Actually, I would, too," Doug reluctantly admits.

"All right, man. Let's do it," Gil happily says as he pulls Doug into a sidearm hug. "Let's go, Jane."

"Okay," Jane replies.

"Be careful, okay?" Carlos tells her.

"I will," Jane promises.

The three of them leave to find Fairy Godmother and the rest turn to go back inside and prepare.

"Come on, Dude," Carlos calls to his faithful, furry friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, about the formatting, I noticed it was getting a little messed up in the last chapter, but by then it was too late to go back and mess with it.

The group finally make it to Fairy Cottage and quietly sneak in. Surprisingly, when they enter, it's seemingly empty. Jay rushes upstairs, only to return moments later.

"She's not upstairs," he reports to the rest of them. 

Suddenly, they hear banging from a nearby closet. Ben opens it to find Chad curled up and looking terrified.

"Chad?" Ben asks.

"I want my mommy," Chad replies. Ben approaches Chad, who flinches and says, "No."

"It's okay," Ben tells Chad as he helps his friend to his feet. "What happened, buddy?"

Chad looks around the room, searching for Audrey. When he doesn't see her he turns his attention back to Ben, who he is only now able to recognize.

"Ben. Ben!" Chad exclaims as he grabs onto Ben, relieved but still frantic. "Your face. She's gone? Huh? The door is open. I'm free." Chad sprints for the door yelling, "Freedom! Oh! Freedom!" Which can be heard echoing off in the distance.

"Who the heck was that?" Eden asks.

"Chad Charming, Cinderella's son," Mal answers.

"And, unfortunately, my ex," Evie adds.

"As well as being Audrey's ex, after Ben," Carlos informs Eden.

"_That's_ who Audrey dated after you?" Eden asks Ben, who nods in response. "Geez, if that was her next best choice no _wonder_ she's angry. She needs a better dating pool to choose from."

"Did you have someone specifically in mind?" Evie asks with an eyebrow raised.

"What? No. I just..." Eden tries to reply, but Evie just smirks at her. "Shut up," Eden says playfully, which just makes smirk grow even bigger.

Eden leaves the cottage, everyone else following soon after, with Harry still laughing at Chad.

* * *

"Ooh. All right. Let's get this Audrey chick taken care of already," Uma playfully says, causing the others to laugh. "What do you say, girls? Time to wrap things up?"

"You know, someday, you're gonna have to tell me how you guys all got teamed up," says Ben.

"Actually, Mal promised to let all the kids off the Isle once this is over," Evie tells him.

"Mal?" he questions.

"I have to tell you guys something," Mal proclaims. "Um... I lied to you. The kids won't be coming off the Isle."

"What do you mean?" asks Jay.

"The program is shut down," Mal explains. "And the barrier...will be closed for good."

"For Auradon's safety," Ben adds.

"Hold up," Uma says as she approaches Mal. "So we're saving your precious people and your behinds for a lie. I knew it was a mistake to trust you. You're always out for yourself."

"And you," Harry points at Ben as he approaches him, "King Ben, eh...you're probably just gonna throw us all back inside."

Celia then steps up to Mal and says, "You know what? I actually thought you were brave. You're nothing but a chicken. Too scared to tell me I was never gonna see my dad again."

"Celia..." Mal starts, but Celia grabs the Ember. "Celia." But it's too late and they watch as she throws the Ember into a nearby birdbath, causing it to spark and go out. "Celia, no!"

"Celia!" Evie tries to call out, but the girl takes off.

"No! No," Mal and Eden both exclaim as they run to the birdbath.

Mal picks up the Ember and chants, "Regain your might and ignite! No..."

Eden touches the Ember too and they both chant, "Regain your might and ignite!"

Unfortunately, the Ember stays dark. Mal holds it up to Uma, who looks down at her shell, which also stays dark.

"Bummer," Uma says with a complete lack of sympathy. "Let's go find Gil and leave them all to rot."

"No. Uh..." Mal says as she watches Uma and Harry walk away. "Uma!" When Uma doesn't look back she turns to the rest of her friends, "Evie... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I just... I thought that... I was afraid to tell you. I thought I was gonna lose my best friend. But I had to do something. I had to protect Auradon."

"Closing the barrier was your idea?" Evie asks angrily.

"I did it for us. I did it for our life that we have here now," Mal tries to explain.

"For our life?" Evie asks, her anger increasing.

Eden goes to step in between her sisters, but Carlos puts a hand out to stop her and simply shakes his head. Eden reluctantly nods, letting her younger siblings talk this out.

Evie continues, "What about the kids that we left behind on that island? The kids that we promised? We were their only hope. I thought you were gonna stand up for the V.K.'s. But instead, you lied to them. And you lied to Jay. And you lied to Carlos. And you lied to me. We're your family."

"Evie..." Mal tries, but Evie just shakes her head and turns away. "Evie, come on. I had no choice!"

Suddenly, a loud _boom _crashes and everyone aside from Mal and Eden are turned to stone.

"No," Mal says quietly, defeat echoing in her voice.

"Mal," Eden says as she tries to approach her sister, but Mal backs away.

* * *

*Insert "My Once Upon A Time" Here*

* * *

"Help me, Mal!" Celia yells from the top of Auradon Prep.

"Yeah, save your little friend, Mal!" Audrey taunts.

Eden runs up just in time to see Mal transforming into a dragon. She ignites her own flames, runs up to the building and starts climbing up the wall. When they both reach the top they begin their battle with Audrey, but neither of them can seem to get the upper hand.

"Help me, Mal!" Celia cries out as she tries to escape, but Audrey catches her.

"Careful not to fry your little V.K. buddy," says Audrey.

Having heard the commotion, Uma and Harry return.

"Whoa!" they both exclaim when they see Mal in her dragon form.

Mal tries to use her dragon flame to reignite the Ember, but it doesn't work.

"She doesn't stand a chance without the Ember," says Uma.

"Help me, Mal!" Celia shouts again.

Audrey shoots another blast at Mal, which hits her in the wing.

"No!" Eden shouts as she watches her sister careening toward the ground and hops down to a lower rooftop to keep a better eye on her sister.

"Come on," Uma says as she and Harry rush to Mal.

Audrey laughs until she realizes how much Celia is struggling and demands, "Hold still, you little brat!"

Celia manages to break free and Audrey begins to chase her around the rooftop. Mal manages to slow her descent to the ground, much to Eden's relief. Uma and Harry meet up with Mal and Uma pulls out her shell, which is glowing again.

"We're stronger together. We're stronger together!" Uma shouts. "I'm right here, Mal! Regain your might and ignite. I'm right here, girl. I'm right here. Regain your might and ignite!"

"Regain your might and ignite," Eden shouts too and shoots a dark red flame directly at the Ember.

Even in her dragon form, Mal manages a thankful smile as the Ember reignites.

"Yeah!" Eden shouts and turns her attention back to Audrey and getting to the top of the building.

"Yes!" Harry shouts as he and Uma celebrate.

"You want a piece of this, huh?" Audrey asks Celia.

"No, no!" Celia says as she ducks down, trying to shield herself from Audrey and her magic.

Suddenly, Audrey hears the beating of wings behind her as both Mal and Eden make it back to the top of the roof. Audrey laughs and swings the scepter threateningly. Audrey tries to blast Mal again, but Mal and Eden fight back with blasts of their own.

"Go, Mal! Go Eden!" Celia cheers.

"Go, Mal! Come on, Eden!" Harry roots for them as well.

"You got this! You got this, girls!" Uma shouts in encouragement.

Mal's and Eden's blasts prove too powerful and Audrey is ultimately defeated.

"Yeah! Come on!" Harry yells victoriously.

"Yes!" Uma exclaims as she and Harry hug each other.

Celia slowly gets up as Mal and Eden settle on the roof an return to normal. Celia runs to Mal.

"Mal!" Celia exclaims as she pulls Mal into a hug, which Mal automatically returns.

"Celia," Mal says with relief. "It's okay. I've got you."

That's when Mal notices that Audrey is still lying on the floor, fast asleep. Mal approaches and tries to wake her.

"Audrey?" Mal asks, with no response. "Oh, no."

That's when Mal remembers what her father told her when he gave her the Ember.

_You're only half Hades. The ember won't do everything for you that it does for me._

* * *

"She's slipping away," Evie says as she and Mal sit by Audrey's bedside.

"There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this, and that's Hades," Mal tells them.

"Hades?" Ben asks. "He wouldn't do it. I wouldn't risk it."

"Actually, he might do it for me," Mal explains. "He's my father."

"He's mine too," Eden explains, looking Mal right in the eyes as she says it. Then she turns to Evie and adds, "And the Evil Queen is my mother."

All three of them smile at their sisters while the rest of the room sits in shock at these revelations.

"I _knew_ there was something going on between the three of you," Uma exclaims.

"Okay," Ben concedes. "Well, I'll have to send guards to get him."

"Maybe I can hitch a ride," says Uma. "The Isle is my home. Someone needs to be there to protect it."

"Well, then, you will need your first mate," Harry tells her.

"The Isle will be in very good hands," Mal says with a smile directed to Uma, which Uma returns.

"Can I go, too?" Celia asks. "I wish I could be in both places."

Mal stands and approaches Uma.

"I really think that Evie was right," says Mal. "And...I do think that we could've been friends. And I'm really sorry that I lied to all of you guys. You deserved so much better than that."

"You were just trying to do the right thing," Jay replies.

"Yeah," Uma agrees.

Mal turns to Evie, who stands and says, "I get it."

"I didn't really have much intention of going back anyway," Eden adds. "Besides, I have to stay and take care of my sisters."

Mal and Evie both smile at that.

* * *

"Thank you for coming," Mal says to Hades as he walk into Audrey's room.

"Didn't have much choice." He looks to Eden and says, "Hey, E."

"Dad," Eden replies.

"Can you wake her?" Ben asks.

"Since when do heroes care about villains?" Hades asks in return.

"She's..." Ben starts.

But Hades interrupts with, "One of your own. Right. When you guys try to destroy the world...it's an error in judgment. But when it's one of us...lock them up and throw away the key. Right, Beast?"

Hades lifts his hands, causing the guards to jump to attention in an effort to stop him.

He looks around and says, "Yeah. I'm gonna need to use my hands."

The guards release his hands. He signals for Mal to give him the Ember, which she does, and his hair reignites.

"Haven't lost my touch," he says with a smirk.

Still feeling uneasy, Eden ignites her fists.

"You don't trust me?" Hades asks.

"You lied to me about my sisters for sixteen years," Eden replies.

"Fair point," Hades concedes before approaching Audrey.

Hades turns to Adam first and they both growl at each other.

That is, until Mal puts a stop to it with, "Dad!"

Hades shrugs and approaches Audrey's bed. He begins to work his magic and the room transforms with a blue glow. Magically, Audrey sits up and is thankfully awake.

"Audrey. You're okay," says Audrey's grandmother, happy to see her granddaughter is awake.

Audrey looks to Mal and Ben and says, "Tell me it was all a bad dream."

"I wish I could," Ben replies. "But, it's over now."

Audrey sits up, moving closer to Mal and quietly says, "I'm sorry. I wanted to hurt you both. I wanted to hurt all of you."

Mal steps forward and takes Audrey's hand, "I have owed you an apology for...a very long time now."

"And so have I," adds Ben.

"And perhaps, I have owed you one, too," Audrey's grandmother says to Mal.

Adam signals for the guards to put the shackles back on Hades, which catches Mal's and Eden's attention.

"Oh, yeah," Hades says as he looks at his daughters before being escorted out of the room.

A moment passes before both Mal and Eden follow him.

"Dad!" Mal calls to him.

He stops to face them, the guards awkwardly trying to move with him.

"I'm gonna have to miss you all over again," says Mal.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Dad," Eden adds.

"Thanks for a glimpse of the sun. Take care of each other."

Both Mal and Eden approach him, each one giving him a kiss on the cheek. As he turns to leave, he slips the Ember back to Mal and winks at them both before being led around the corner.


	5. Chapter 5

"There they are," Evie says as Mal and Ben arrive at their engagement party to celebrate. Mal approaches Evie first, who smiles and simply says, "Hi."

Mal and Ben give all of the proper bows and curtsies before making their way to the balcony to make their speeches.

"Lady Mal and I wanna thank you for celebrating our engagement with us today. I couldn't be prouder or happier to call you my Queen. So...raise your glasses. To our future Queen of Auradon," Ben toasts.

"To our Queen of Auradon!" replies the crowd.

"Speech, Your Special-ness," Carlos playfully demands.

"Speech, oh, Fancy One," Jay adds, playing along.

Mal laughs, but then hesitates before saying, "I can't." The crowd gasps and she continues, "I can't be Queen of Auradon."

"Mal?" Ben asks.

"I can't turn my back on the Isle," she tells him. She returns her attention to the crowd and says, "We made a decision...to close the barrier forever. And it was my idea. But it's wrong. I've learned...that you can't live in fear...because it doesn't actually protect you from anything. You never know where the bad is gonna come from. And you never know where the heroes are gonna come from either. Without Uma and her pirates, Auradon would be gone. And without Hades...my and Eden's father..."

The crowd gasps again and looks to Eden, who nods.

"...Audrey would be gone," Mal continues as she turns her attention to Audrey, who smiles up at her. "We are all capable of good and bad, no matter which side of the barrier we come from. And that's why I can't be Queen of just Auradon. I have to be Queen of the Isle, too. And it's time that we take the barrier down forever."

"We can't do that," says Adam.

"It's up to us, Dad," Ben tells him. He turns to the crowd and says, "I choose to be a King who moves forward. It's time for forgiveness. It's time for new beginnings. The barrier will come down!"

"Yes!" Carlos cheers, which makes the crowd laugh.

"Bring it down, Mal," Ben tell her.

They kiss and the crowd applauds and cheers. Evie, Jay, Carlos and Eden all rush to join Mal and Ben on the balcony as Fairy Godmother hands her wand to Mal and nods.

"To make the world a better place," Mal begins.

"We have to do it, face to face," they all say in unison.

Mal casts the spell and everyone watches and cheers as the barrier drops and the cloud over the Isle dissipates. Over on the Isle, Uma and Harry happily step out into the sunlight.

Uma smiles and says, "My plan." Then she laughs and exclaims, "Yes!"

* * *

*Insert "Break This Down" Here*

* * *

"Carlos?" Jane asks, getting her boyfriend's attention.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"I'm actually really nervous to meet your mom," Jane confesses.

"_You're_ nervous?" Dude asks, "His mom is Cruella De Vil! I'm petrified!"

"Wait 'til she hears I want to be a vet," Carlos admits out loud.

* * *

"What do you say you and me go exploring?" Jay asks Gil. "I'll do a gap year. Jungles or icebergs?"

"Both?" Gil asks. Jay clearly like the idea, so Gil adds, "Yeah. Chest bump!"

* * *

"Hey. Get it, girl," Uma says to Evie as they dance together. "You know what? Mal came through."

"She always does," Evie replies.

"So, she's definitely taken?" Harry asks.

"Definitely," Evie answers.

"So is Evie," Doug adds.

Uma elbows Harry and asks, "What's my name?"

"Uma," he replies and leans in to kiss her, but she stops him and walks away, Harry following close behind.

* * *

Hades finally makes it across the bridge and asks, "Am I invited to the wedding?"

"Hi, Dad," Ben replies as nervously and awkwardly as possible.

Mal runs up to her dad and hugs him.

"I'm sure you two will be very happy together," Hades says to the young couple with a smile on his face.

Mal hugs Ben and the smile drops from Hades's face as he silently let's Ben know he's watching him. Mal takes her dad's hand and starts to lead him the rest of the way into the party.

"Welcome to Auradon," Ben says as he pats Hades on the back, which was a clear mistake judging from the look Hades gives him.

* * *

*Insert "Break This Down, Reprise" Here*

* * *

"So..." Evie asks, getting Eden's attention. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Eden answers honestly. "I heard Jay and Gil talking about going on a gap year and having some adventures. That could be fun."

Evie looks in the direction Eden is facing and when she sees what, or rather who, has so much of Eden's attention, she smirks.

"I think you have your own adventure to explore right in front of you," Evie tells her.

"What?" Eden asks, surprised by the comment. When she sees the smirk on Evie's face she actually blushes.

"Go on," Evie tells her, which surprises Eden even more. "I think you both could use a win."

Eden smiles and hugs her sister before rushing to catch up with the person who had her attention, who also happened to be slipping away from the party.

* * *

"Do you ever miss them?" Evie asks.

"Yeah," Jay answers.

"Do you think that they miss us?" Mal asks.

"Yeah. Of course," Carlos answers.

"'Cause we're rotten..." Mal says as she holds up her fist.

"To the core," they all say in unison as they bump their fists together and laugh.

"Hey, last one over the bridge..." Carlos starts.

But the other three beat him to the end of his sentence and shout, "Is a rotten apple!"

The four friends run across the bridge and back toward the place where it all started...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This scene is semi-inspired by the scene in Wynonna Earp where Waverly and Nicole get together for the first time. I love the idea of "I want to do things that scare me", which suits the theme happening here. I'm not going to quote it directly, the conversation is just going to be kind of similar.

Eden rushes through the forest trying both to find her way and find the person she wanted to be spending her time with. After a moment she hears running water. She emerges from the forest and finds herself at the Enchanted Lake. She can't help but take a moment to look around and take in her surroundings, which is good because she finds the person she was searching for sitting by the lake. She smiles and carefully approaches in an effort to not scare the other person.

"Mind if I join you?" Eden asks.

Audrey looks up at her and nods with a small smile on her face. They sit in a comfortable silence for a moment, just looking out at the water.

"I noticed you left the party early," Eden says. This makes Audrey face Eden again and they make eye contact before she finishes her question, "I wanted to see if you're okay."

Audrey is clearly, but pleasantly, surprised by this.

"You're Eden, right?"

"Yeah," Eden replies and holds up her hand.

"I'm Audrey."

"I know."

Audrey offers her hand to Eden, expecting a handshake. But Eden surprises her once again by kissing her hand while looking right into her eyes. Audrey is so surprised that she doesn't really react, but she doesn't pull away either. Eden chooses to take this as a good sign.

"I don't know why I left," Audrey explains. Eden waits and Audrey continues, "I'm not angry anymore. For the first time in my life there isn't a 'plan' laid out in front of me. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what's next."

"Evie was asking me that exact question...before telling me to come talk to you..."

Audrey can feel herself blushing and a genuine smile slowly forming on her face.

"I feel like no one has ever asked you what you really want. And I don't mean what your family wanted for you or what was expected of you. I mean what do _you_ want?" Eden asks her.

Audrey takes a moment to think about that, but Eden takes the silence as a step backwards.

"You don't have to answer, it's okay. In fact you probably want to be alone," Eden says as she moves to stand up.

Audrey realizes this and grabs Eden's arm with one hand while placing the other on Eden's shoulder.

"No, sorry, you can stay. I _want_ you to stay." Eden smiles and settles back down, so Audrey continues, "I guess I want to figure out who I am."

"You guess?" Eden teases.

"I _know_ I want to figure out who I am. I want to find my own adventures. My own story."

In that moment they both realize Audrey is still holding onto Eden's arm and shoulder.

"And I _definitely_ want..." Audrey moves closer to Eden and they look into each other's eyes, "...to try new things."

Eden takes a deep breath and says, "I might be a Villain Kid but my Dad always taught me to be big on consent. Which you have."

"You do too," Audrey says with a giggle.

"Good," says Eden as she leans in and kisses Audrey for the first time.

After a moment, they end the kiss to look in each other's eyes.

"That's always what I imagined kissing Ben was supposed to feel like," Audrey explains.

"That's better than I imagined kissing _anyone_ would feel like," Eden divulges.

Audrey backs up slightly in surprise and asks, "You've never kissed anyone before?"

"My life on the Isle was...complicated..."

Audrey can't help but feel for the young woman in front of her, so she places a hand on the back of Eden's neck and pulls her in for another kiss, which Eden happily reciprocates. Eden places one hand on Audrey's lower back, in a respectful way of course, and places the other hand gently on Audrey's face. Audrey's other hand slides up Eden's arm and around the back of Eden's neck to meet the other hand and they pull each other closer. After what could have been seconds or hours, neither would know for sure if asked, they finally break the kiss, if only to catch their breath. Not willing to lose the moment, they gently rest their foreheads together, eyes still closed.

"_Wow_," Eden whispers, still breathless from the kiss.

"Good wow?" Audrey asks as she opens her eyes and leans back slightly, only to be able to look at Eden's face better.

Eden opens her eyes too and replies, "Good wow. _Very_ good wow. _Great_ wow. The _best _wow."

Audrey giggles and gives Eden another soft kiss on the lips to stop her rambling.

"Sorry," says Eden.

"Don't apologize," Audrey says as she runs her fingers through Eden's hair.

"I'm just not used to being this nervous," Eden explains. "I mean, I'm the daughter of Hades after all. I'm known for my bravery."

"Aww, I make you nervous?"

"Yeah."

"What is it about me that makes you nervous?" Audrey asks as the fingers that had just been in Eden's hair slowly trail along the skin on the side of Eden's face and along the back of her neck.

Eden closes her eyes and enjoys the feeling, realizing more and more with each passing moment just how much of an affectionate person she is.

"You know, maybe if you had come over to Auradon when Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos did things might be different."

Eden opens her eyes and looks right into Audrey's. She takes Audrey's free hand and kisses that one.

"Honestly though, I think that's part of why you make me nervous. And why I like you so much."

"What do you mean?"

"You've experienced both sides of this. You're a good person. Having been there when you woke up and seeing your reaction to everything that had happened..."

"Everything I did, you mean," Audrey corrects as she pulls away.

But Eden doesn't let her pull away and instead gently cups both sides of Audrey's face as she continues, "That's exactly what I mean. You have remorse. You care about people. About Auradon."

Eden brushes her thumb across Audrey's cheek and they both smile.

"On the other hand, and hear me out on this, you proved to be an incredible Villain that could only be stopped by the power of Hades's Ember, one of the most _powerful_ magical artifacts in the _entire_ kingdom. You're as smart and clever as you are beautiful, and all of those qualities are _incredibly_ attractive. Plus..." Eden leans in and whispers into Audrey's ear, "It seems I'm _really_ into the 'girl next door' with a dark side vibe."

Audrey leans back to look into Eden's eyes, searching for sincerity. Not only does she find that, she finds the same flames in Eden's eyes that Doug had. But rather than frightening her, she instead feels comforted. Like someone _finally_ understands her. Unable to think of any words sufficient enough to thank Eden for completely accepting her, she kisses Eden yet again, hoping that everything she's feeling is being conveyed and understood.


	7. Chapter 7

A couple of days later...

"Eden!" Evie exclaims happily as she waves her older sister over to join her and Mal at the picnic table they're currently sitting at.

Eden approaches and gives Mal and Evie hugs as she happily says, "Hey, guys," and then sits down across from them.

"Where have you been?" Mal asks. "I feel like we haven't seen you since the party."

"Yeah, I left the party a bit early and I've been getting to know Auradon a little better," Eden explains.

"Aw, I thought we'd get to show you around Auradon!" Mal says with a pout.

"It's okay, I know you both have been busy with the Engagement and welcoming the Villains and VKs to Auradon," says Eden.

"So who exactly _has_ been showing you around?" Evie asks with a knowing smirk.

Eden stutters, searching for an answer, but is interrupted when she hears a now familiar voice behind her say, "Hey, guys!"

Audrey hugs Eden from behind and gives her a peck on the cheek before sitting down next to her, making Eden smile happily. Evie smiles too, happy that she was successfully able to play matchmaker. Meanwhile, Mal's jaw drops in shock and surprise. But Eden and Audrey don't notice, each of them too enchanted by the other. Evie sees though and shuts her best friend's mouth for her.

"Hey, babe," Eden greets her girlfriend with a smile.

"What are you guys talking about?" Audrey asks.

"Eden was just going to tell us who's been showing her around Auradon," Evie answers, that same knowing smirk on her face.

But Audrey doesn't see it and replies, "Oh, I have. I hope you guys don't mind. Eden has managed to turn each location into a date."

"Really?" Evie asks playfully in an effort to tease her sister. "Do tell."

"Well, we first met, _properly _met, at the Enchanted Lake," Audrey tells them. "We just talked and sat by the lake. It was so simple, but so great. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a conversation so much before. The next day we went to the Museum and told each other about our families and got to know each other, then we got ice cream and went to the park so Eden could show me some of her magic."

"How much magic do you actually know?" Mal asks, curiosity briefly outweighing her shock. "It's not like you were able to practice on the Isle."

"Dad kept training me 'just in case'. It was my first time doing real magic, aside from the magic I helped you and Uma with, but I've always known the basics," Eden answers.

"But you can cast magic without the Ember? Or another magical object?" questions Mal.

"Yeah. Dad never told me how or why, but he said I'm capable of casting without any help. Though the Ember obviously helps," Eden explains.

"Anyway, continue," Evie says to Audrey, eager to hear more about this budding romance.

"Then the next day I gave Eden a tour of the school," Audrey tells them. Her smile grows and she adds, "She especially loved the library. It was so cute."

"I've never seen a library that was that _big_ before!" Eden defends herself. "And I'm _not_ cute."

"You are to me," Audrey says as she runs her fingers through Eden's hair.

"Alright," Eden caves as she leans into the touch of her girlfriend, "but only for you."

"You guys are _so_ cute," says Evie.

"So what did you guys do yesterday?" Mal asks.

"Well, we had rented some books from the library and we brought them with us to the Cathedral. There was no one else there, so we just cuddled and read to each other," Audrey replies as her smile grows impossibly bigger.

"Awww, I want to do that with Doug!" Evie exclaims.

"Yeah, actually, I want to see if Ben will do that too," Mal concedes.

"You guys should. It was the best," Audrey agrees.

"So, are you guys doing anything today?" Mal asks.

"Actually, no, we haven't figured out our plans for today yet," Eden answers.

"Well, we were going to head over to the Isle to help out with the redevelopment projects," Evie explains. "Do you want to come with us?"

"To the Isle?" Audrey asks nervously.

"We don't have to, babe," Eden tells her as she wraps an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders. "But if you want to, we can. I won't let anything happen to you."

Eden gives Audrey's shoulders a comforting squeeze, which puts a smile back onto her face. She can't help herself as she leans in and kisses Eden, who happily kisses back. Mal is still unsure how to react. But Evie, always being a lover of love, enjoys the sweet moment playing out in front of her.

"Seriously, you guys are _so cute_!" Evie exclaims with glee.

Eden and Audrey break the kiss and Audrey giggles as Eden nuzzles Audrey's nose, causing Evie to squeal happily. Even Mal can't help but smile at the cuteness.

"I guess I am kind of curious to see what the Isle is like," Audrey admits. "Plus, you're right, I know you'll keep me safe."

"Well then let's go meet up with the others," Mal says and stands, followed by the others.

"Oh, who else is going?" Audrey asks.

"Jay, Carlos, Ben, Doug and Jane," Evie answers.

"And we're meeting up with Uma, Harry and Gil once we get there," Mal adds.

"Cool. It'll be nice to see everyone coming together to make the Isle a better place," Eden says. She gives Mal a shoulder hug and says, "I'm proud of you. You've already done so much good, for Auradon and the Isle. You're going to be a great Queen."

Mal looks cautiously at Audrey, expecting a negative reaction.

"Oh, no, Mal, I've moved on from all of that," Audrey tells her.

Mal doesn't respond, mostly because she doesn't know what to say to that.

"Actually, I can thank your sister for that," Audrey explains as she looks to her girlfriend with admiration. "Eden asked me what _I_ wanted. That was something no one had ever really asked me before. Not my friends. Not Chad. Not Ben. Not even my family. _No one_ had ever asked me that, until she did. And I realized I just want someone that gets me and wants to be with me for me, not because it's expected of us. And now I've found that."

Eden kisses Audrey's hand and Audrey kisses hers in return.

"The others are _not_ going to believe this," Mal whispers to Evie.


End file.
